Placque Identitie/Dog Tags

[legionnaire]

Bonsoir:

Did the French use Neck or Wrist Identity Tags or both during the Indochina War?

If both, what dictated when each was in use?

Also, what information was found on the tags?

Merci.

Legionairre

[lt13demi]

From all the photos I cant tell what they used........ Unless they did like we did and lace them into their boot laces.....

In WWI and II the ID discs were worm on the left wrist. They contained the name, date of enlistment (by year), their Caserne of enlistment, and their service number issued to them at that Caserne.
For example The original set I own for a "Groupe "A" Reservist in pre-WWII Franch read as follows;

Front side;

1932 (year of enlistment)

Gabriel Petit

(This is stamped on both the top and bottom portions of the ID disc, with a series of holes down the lower middle for detatchment in the event of death)

Reverse;

1315 (service number)

Chalons/Marne (Chalons sur Marne, enlistment caserne)

Again this is stamped on both the top and bottom portion of the disc.

In the Indochine pics you occassionally see a private purchase wrist tag, and LOTS of wrist watches. And in many pics you can get a good look at open battle jackets and open cheast areas. No apparent ID tag chains or strings. Again you occassionally see what look like religious medal chains, etc. But no obvious ID discs on the wrist ot around the neck.

This leads me to thing they are places somewhere elseon the body like in or on the boots. Quite the enigma. And I bet it's right under our noses somewhere. You know it's always easy to overlook the obvious. I bet with a little additional research we can find the answer.

Renault

[keane]

Just got some back issues of Gazette Des Uniformes. In issue #260 page 8 I believe it is the troop on the right in the back of the truck appears to be wearing the type 17 on his right wrist. At least you can see the chain that appears to be correct.

[craigtx]

From all I can tell, there isn't much in the way of photo evidence. But from what I've been able to gleen is that the wrist ID plaque would be correct for Indo, and the necklace ID plaque didn't start getting issued until Algerie.